Electric welding.



c. H. FLORANDIN & A. M. BENNETT.

ELECTRIC WELDING.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 5. 1911.

Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

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IlOUULX 7. Electric Welding, of which the following UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. FLORAN'DIN AN'D ALAN M. BENNETT, OF WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGN'ORS TO WILLIAM E. TUTTLE, JR., RECEIVER FOR C & C ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF GARWOOD,

NEW JERSEY.

NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF ELECTRIC WELDING.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. FLORAN- DIN and ALAN M. BENNE'rr, citizens of the United States, residing at Westfield, county of Union, and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus and methods for welding, brazing or otherwise treating metals by the electric are.

In the application of Francis S. Caldwell and Alan M. Bennett, filed January 10th,

1917, and bearingSerial Number 141507,

is described a systemand method whereby a. high voltage is provided for striking the arc and later a portion of the striking voltage is cut out, the welding being carried out at a lower voltage. In that system, however, the portion of the electromotive force supply which at the start is added to that for the welding voltage, and which is cut out later, is not used for any other purpose.

It is the main object of the present inven-- tion to provide an apparatus and method utilizing a plurality of arcs so related to an electromotive force sufiicient to give a suitable high striking voltage to the arcs that the lower welding voltages are supplied to the arcs by parts of the said source in such manner as to reduce the amount of or eliminate idle apparatus during the welding operations. The efliciency and compactness is thus improved and the cost of apparatus for a given work output is decreased. I

Other and ancillary objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The accompanying drawing, which illustrates the invention, is a diagram of apparatus embodying the invention and whereby the method of the invention may be carried out. f

Referring to the drawings, the direct current generators 1 and 2 of say 30 volts each, are connected in series between the conductors 3 and 4, the positive terminal of say volts. With the apparatus in normal being, that is with no areeexisting and the 24. When the electrodes 18 and 19 are 110 inoperatingposition as shown in the drawspeciflcation of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

Application filed October 5, 1917. Serial No. 194,842.

' electrodes separated from the work, connecjust indicated, will cause the relay 8 to beenergized whereupon it will close its contacts and connect the electrode 9 with a" terminal of each of the coils of the contactors-7 and 11. The other terminal of the coil of contactor 11 being connected with the work by conductor 12, the last mentioned contactor is connected across the are between the electrodes 9 and 10 and when this has been drawn, by separating the electrodes, to an extent to give suflicient voltage, the contactor will lift its contacts into closed position. The contacts 13 will close connection from the conductor 5 through t "'e' variable resistance 14 for varying the welding current, and the conductor 15 to the coil of the relay 8 whence it extends to the electrode 9. A connection from the generator 2 to'the electrode 9 in shunt to the generator 1 isthus provided. The lifting of the contactor 11 also closes the contacts 16, thereby closing the circuit of the coil of the contactor 7 across the electrodes 9 and 10 through the conductors 12 and 17 and the contacts of the load relay 8 so that an instant after the generator 1 has been shunted by the closing of the contacts 13,

ing the arc between the electrodes 9 and 10,

the welding current being supplied by the generator 2 after the combined voltages of the two generators has been employed I01 striking the arc asdescribed.

As regards the are between. the movable electrode 18 and the work 19, the generators are connected in series between the conductor 20 connected to the electrode 18 and the conductor 21 connected with the work 19 through the resistance 22 for limiting the current on short circuit, the contacts of the contactor 23 and the coil of the load relay cated, will cause the load relay. 24 to lift and close its contacts. This closes the circuit, across the arc, of the coil of the contactor 25 and, when the arc has been drawn to have sufiicient drop in potential across it,

the contactor 25 lifts its contacts. The con tacts 26 close a shunt about the generator 2 including the variable resistance 27 for varying the welding current so that the generatorv 1 has a circuit through the are independent of the generator 2. The energizing of the contactor 25 also closes the' contacts 28 which completes the circuit of the coil of the contactor 23 across the arc, throughthe contacts of the load relay 24:. The contacts of the contactor 23 will then be opened, breaking the connection of the terminal of the generator 2 with the circuit of the electrodes 18 and 19. An instant after the shunt about the generator 2 is formed, therefore, the generator will be cut out of circuit by a disconnection within the shunt referred to. The generator 1 will thus be left to supply the welding current to the are between the electrodes'18 and 19. The pieces of work 10 and 19 should be insulated from each other to prevent the formation of a short circuit for the generators. This may be done by providing an insulated support for one of them or such a support for each ofthem.

' It will now be seenthat the combined voltages of the two generators are employed for striking both arcs while the generator 1 supplies the welding current for the arc between the electrodes 18 and 19, the welding current for the other are being su plied by the generator 2.

y the apparatus as described, there is no idle apparatus at any time and a most eflicient and compact structure is secured.

While the invention has been illustrated in what is considered its best application, it may have other embodiments without departing fromits spirit and is not therefore limited to the structure shown in the drawings, the appended claims pointing out the invention as required by the patent statutes.

What we claim is i 1. In an are system for welding, repairing and otherwise treating metals, the combination with 'means for supplying electromotive force, electrodes for a plurality of arcs; means for connectin certain of said arcs across said electromotive force to supply a high striking voltage thereto, means for, cutting out a portion of said electromotive force from the circuit of said certain arcs and meansijfor connecting other of said csto'receive electromotive force from said t portlon to supply welding current sjstem for welding, rep i ing and otherwise treating metals, the comarcs; means for connecting certain of said arcs across saidelectromotive force to supply a high striking voltage thereto, means for cutting out a portion of said electromotive force from the circuit of. said certain arcs and means for connecting other of said arcs to receive electromotive force from said cut'out portion to supply welding current thereto, and across the first mentioned electromotive force, for supplying striking voltage.

3. In an are system for welding, repairing and otherwise-treating metals, the combination with a plurality of generators, of a plurality of arcs, means for connecting the two generators and the arcs respectively in series and means for connecting different arcs respectively across difierent generators.

4:. In an are system for welding, repairing and'otherwise treating metals, the combination with two generators of two sets of arc electrodes, means for connecting each of portion of said electromotive force from thecircuit of said certain arcs and means for connectmg other of sald arcs to receive electromotive force from said out out portion to:

supply welding current thereto.

6. In an arc system-for welding, repairing v and otherwisetreatimg metals, the combination with means for supplying electromotive force, electrodes for a plurality of arcs; means for connecting certain of said arcs across said electromotive force to supply a high striking voltage thereto, means for cutting out a portion of said electromotive force from the circuit of said certain arcs, said means comprising means for successively closing a shunt about said portion and then opening its circuit, and means for connecting other of said arcs to receive electromotive force from said out out portion to supply welding current thereto. 7. In an are system for welding, repairing and otherwise treating metals, the combination with means for supplying electromotive force, electrodes for a plurality of arcs; means for connectmg certain of said arcs across said electromotive force to supply a high striking voltage thereto, means 90 the arcs across the generators in series, and 7 tive force from the circuit of said certain arcs, said means comprising means responsive to the working current for successively closing a shunt about said portion and then opening its circuit, and meansfor connecting other of said arcs to receive electromotive force from said cut'out portion to supply welding current thereto.

8. In an are system for welding, repairing and otherwise treating metals, the combination with a plurality of generators of elec trodes corresponding to a plurality of arcs, conductors for connecting the arcs respectively in circuit with said generators in series, each of the arc circuits comprising a load relay having its coil in the welding circuit, a shunt closing relay adapted to be connected across the arc and having its connection controlled by the load relay, a shunt about one of said generators adapted to be closed by the contacts of said shunt closing relay, a relay controlling the circuit of the last mentioned generator, the coil of the last mentioned relay being adapted to be connected across the arc and having its circuit controlled by the shunt closing relay, different of said generators being shunted and cut out from the arc circuits respectively whereby difi'erent generators remain in the different are circuits respectively to supply welding current thereto.

0. In an-arc system for welding, repairing a and otherwise treating metals, the combination with a plurality of generators of electrodes corresponding to a plurality of arcs, conductors connecting the arcs respectively across the said generators in series, each of the arc circuits comprising a resistancein series with one of said generators, a load relay having its coil in the welding circuit, a shunt closing relay adapted to be connected across the arc and having its connections controlled by the load relay, a shunt about the lastmentioned generator andsaid resistance, adapted to be closed by the contacts of said shunt closing relay, a relay controlling the circuit of the last mentioned generator, the coil of the last mentioned relay being adapted to be connected across the arc and having its circuit controlled by the shunt closing relay, different of said generators being shunted and cut out from the arc circuits respectively whereby difl'erent generators remain in the different are circuits respectively to supply welding current thereto.

10. The method of operating a system for welding, repairing or otherwise treating metals, comprising a source of electromotive force and a plurality of arcs which consists in connecting the arcs respectively across the electromotive force to provide a high striking voltage and then connecting the different arcs respectively across different portions of the said electromotive force to supply welding currents of lower voltage to the arcs.

11. The method of operating a system for welding, repairing or otherwise treating metals, comprising a source of electromotive 7 of thecircuit of said are and employing the said cut out portion of the electromotive force for supplying welding current to another arc.

12. The method of operating a system for welding, repairing or otherwise treating metals which consists in connecting a plurality of arcs respectively across a plurality of generators in series to provide a high striking voltage for the arcs and cutting one of said generators out of each arc circuit, one of said generators being cut out of one of said circuits and another of said generators being cut out of another of said circuits, the generators cut out of some circuits remaining connected in others to supply welding current.

In testimony whereof we have signed this- 

